A/N:

Well...I firstly must apologise for the neglect I've shown to my loyal readers...It has been a long time since I've had the inspiration to write! Lucky for you, I got bored at home (day off due to severe back issues – kinda know how Merlin must feel now. I assume its Karma for giving Merlin a Herniated disc quite a few chapters back, as that is my current problem) and decided to watch some Merlin, which led me to my laptop...so here we are. I will try and not leave so long between updates in the future. Also, it is a bit short – I am on very strong pain meds at the moment!

Neither Merlin or Arthur belong to me...but I'm on Endone, so I can pretend.

CHARACTERS: Just Court Warlock!Merlin and Arthur (because of bromance, that's why) and a bad ass female OC

RATED: I'm just going to go ahead and make this an M.

GENRE: Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Spiritual, Horror

WARNINGS: M

Merlin begins to have intense precognitive visions during the day, whilst at night he dreams of an old, decrepit castle that chills his blood.

THE ADVENTURES OF MERLIN

Second Sight – Part 3

The brilliant gold of first light brought Arthur from his dreams and for a moment he was confused as to why the Court Warlock was held so closely to his body. Then he remembered the events from the previous evening – the fear he felt at the possibility of losing his best friend, which flared anew the more he thought about it. The King took a shuddering breath and brushed the glass from atop Merlin's head, silently berating himself for not being clear headed enough to clean it before falling asleep.

The dark haired youth whimpered at the touch, his brow furrowing in pain as his lids fluttered – revealing tired and bloodshot eyes.

Arthur gave him a small smile. 'Hey there jug ears,' he murmured softly, pressing his palm to the youth's brow and wincing at the intense heat that burned upon his skin. Merlin chuckled quietly, but it soon turned into a wince as he struggled to draw breath into his failing lungs.

'Well, that's a new one sire,' he rasped, blinking languorously and peering around slowly. 'What happened? Why is your window broken?'

The King released the boy for a moment, only to stand and lift him from the glass covered bed. Merlin cried out as the movement increased his pain and Gwaine, who had been asleep on the chair in front of the fire, awoke with a snort.

'Whassgoinon?' He mumbled, rubbing his eyes and stretching in the chair with a wide yawn.

'A little assistance would be nice, Sir Gwaine,' the King ground out through clenched teeth as Merlin thrashed weakly in his grasp. 'Just stay still for a moment!' He admonished Merlin gently as Gwaine rushed to the bed, brushing the glass from atop the downy quilt, unable to avoid the small cuts from doing so. He shook the covers onto the floor for good measure.

Gently, Arthur placed the ailing Warlock upon the mattress and arranged the comforter messily around his quaking form.

'I m-must be dreaming, sire...' Merlin stammered; a weak smile quirking the corner of his mouth.

'You must be Merlin...you wouldn't be in the Royal chambers being waited upon by the King himself otherwise,' he returned the smile.

The young man took a shuddering breath, his eyes rolling back briefly before returning his gaze to settle on his best friend.

'You have to be strong, my lord.' He wheezed, his brow furrowing in pain. 'I don't think I can protect you where I'm going...'

The muscle in Arthur's jaw twitched from clenching his teeth and he did his best to disallow his emotions to get the better of him whilst his friend suffered. 'Nonsense, Merlin. You'll be fine – just a headache...it'll pass.'

As he squeezed the boys shoulder with a calloused hand, there was a rapid knock upon the door, which then swung open before Arthur could grant entrance.

A young woman about the same age as Merlin, entered hurriedly – her raven hair cropped roughly to shoulder length and curiously splashed with intermittent streaks of crimson.

Arthur gaped stupidly as the woman, for she clearly was a woman, dropped a basket of medicinal items upon his dining table before straightening her breeches and smoothing out her leather jerkin.

'Who the hell are you?' Arthur demanded incredulously once he had regained the ability to speak.

'Far more polite than you are, by the sounds of it sire, if you don't mind the criticism,' she responded with a smirk. From the bed, Arthur could hear a muffled snort of amusement from the man who normally would have regaled him with such a cheeky greeting. The King resisted the urge to smack him and Gwaine went right out and proposed marriage. She raised a dark eyebrow toward the knight but didn't respond.

'My apologies for being rude, miss – would you kindly introduce yourself?' Arthur ground out as she flashed him a wolfish grin.

'I am known as Kora, my lord. I am the Physicians apprentice.' She replied with an over-exaggerated bow.

The King found the corner of his mouth tugging in a reminiscent smile. 'What a lovely name! Shame about the personality though...'

She snorted derisively. 'Could say the same of you, Sire. Never have I seen a pretty face on such an arse.'

Merlin guffawed, despite the pain he was in, but was halted by an icy glare the King shot his way. Although he had silenced his laughter, Arthur could still see a glint of amusement in his tired eyes as he tried to catch a glimpse of the woman who gave his impertinence a run for its money.

'I suppose you're here to examine the patient? Bear in mind, he is my loyal advisor and the court warlock – he will turn you into a toad if I so command it,' Arthur explained haughtily.

The dark haired youth snorted. 'Not before I transform you into one, prat,' he countered weakly, noting the quirk of Arthur's lips as he moved away.

'Oh and I thought he was pretty,' the young lady commented with a grin as she settled on the side of the bed with her items on the floor close by.

Arthur couldn't tell whether Merlin was blushing or if the fever was reddening his cheeks, either way – he did not look away from the face that now hovered above him. Although he had never seen such strange flashes of unnatural colour to someone's hair before, he found he quite liked how it framed her round face and intensified the green of her irises.

'Close your mouth Merlin, you're drooling,' Gwaine commented with amusement, leaning against the post of the bed. 'I asked first.'

Kora rested a soft palm to his brow for several moments before moving two fingers to his wrist to check his pulse.

'I almost accepted your offer too, sir Knight – until I saw this one.' She gave Merlin a wink and reached for the basin of water the Arthur kept by his bedside table to splash his face in the morning.

'You're fever is worryingly high,' she said gently, pressing a damp cloth to his forehead before turning to Arthur. 'Has he experienced anymore seizures?'

Arthur nodded and pointed at the remainder of his shattered window. 'I see,' she murmured and turned to Merlin. 'I'd try and throw the idiot out the window too,' she whispered conspiratorially drawing another smile from the young man.

Arthur rolled his eyes and Gwaine, knowing a lost cause when he saw one, headed to the kitchens to get food.

'Do you mind if I use my magic to determine the depth of your illness?'

'You have magic?' Merlin asked in awe before grinning brightly. He couldn't tell if he was delirious or not, but he may have already fallen in love. 'Go for it!' he responded eagerly.

Arthur sat himself some distance away to keep watch but was ready to spring into action should the occasion call for it.

'Good. Now relax and close your eyes,' she whispered soothingly, placing her cool hands against either side of his face and rested her brow against his.

'liefe mè æt scèawe onuppan sè hèahþegnung þes gelefed bánsele!' She chanted, her eyes flashing amber as she searched Merlin's body for ailments.

She began to perspire, feeling the strength of the Warlocks fever and she felt weak at the faintness of his heart. Abruptly, she jumped back – tears threatening to fall as Merlin grunted and rapidly lost consciousness from the strain of the invasion.

'What happened?' Arthur demanded as Kora swallowed one gasping breath after another.

'He has been through so much, Arthur,' she addressed him softly. 'And these are but the beginnings of his trial...'

She wiped her eyes viciously and sniffed.

'It's going to get worse?' He asked shakily, eyeing the unconscious man warily.

Kora nodded. 'Much worse, I'm afraid...'

How's that for a delightful cliffhanger? Again – I apologise for leaving it so long. I hope you all enjoyed! You know what to do!